Tinubu Government Using Nnamdi Kanu’s Conviction as 2027 Political Strategy — Chief Emeka Kalu Alleges
“Chief Emeka Kalu has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of using Nnamdi Kanu’s conviction as a political strategy for the 2027 elections, alleging plans to exploit a future pardon to win Southeast votes. Read the full report.”
Following the unexpected conviction of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, after years of incarceration and a legal process widely criticised as unjust by many observers, fresh allegations have emerged regarding the underlying motives of the Federal Government.
Chief Dr. Emeka Kalu, Chairman of the E.C.K Foundation and a respected political analyst, has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration of orchestrating Kanu’s conviction as part of a calculated political strategy ahead of the 2027 general elections. According to him, the government’s actions are “driven more by political expediency than by the pursuit of justice”.
In a recent statement, Chief Kalu argued that if the government’s intentions were sincere, President Tinubu would have halted the trial and pursued a political solution through dialogue—an approach repeatedly recommended by regional leaders, civil society organisations and international partners. Instead, he alleged, the Federal Government allowed the conviction to proceed with the hidden objective of later issuing a presidential pardon to Kanu, using the gesture as a bargaining chip to secure electoral support in the Southeast.
Chief Kalu noted that the Southeast has long felt politically marginalised, and Kanu’s prolonged detention has remained a major source of agitation in the region. He suggested that timing a potential pardon close to the 2027 elections would allow the government to present itself as “magnanimous and conciliatory,” thereby appealing to disenchanted voters while suppressing separatist tensions. According to him, this would effectively reduce Kanu’s freedom to a political transaction.
He warned that such a strategy poses grave risks to Nigeria’s unity and democratic values. “It is clear that the government is playing politics with the fate of an entire region, using the suffering of one man as leverage for electoral advantage,” Chief Kalu said.
As the convener of multiple advocacy platforms promoting national unity and justice reform, he called on civil society groups, international observers and all Nigerians to demand transparency in the handling of Kanu’s case. He cautioned that politicising such a sensitive matter could deepen mistrust and further destabilise the already fragile relationship between the Federal Government and the people of the Southeast.
